On Weights and Measures
On Weights and Measures is a historical, lexical,
The composition was written at the request of a Persian priest, sent to Epiphanius by letter from the Roman emperor in Constantinople.[1] Although five fragments of an early Greek version are known to exist, with one entitled Περὶ μέτρων καὶ στάθμων (On Weights and Measures), added by a later hand,[2] this Syriac version is the only complete copy that has survived. Partial translations in Armenian and Georgian[3] are also known to exist. Its modern title belies its content, as the work also contains important historical anecdotes about people and places not written about elsewhere.
Two manuscripts of On Weights and Measures, written in Syriac on parchment, are preserved at the British Museum in London. The older (Or. Add. 17148) was found in Egypt and, according to the colophon, was written in the Seleucid era, in "nine-hundred and sixty-[...]" (with the last digit effaced, meaning, that it was written between the years 649 AD–659 AD). The younger manuscript is designated "Or. Add. 14620".[4]
The first to attempt a modern publication of Epiphanius' work was Paul de Lagarde in 1880, who reconstructed the original Syriac text by exchanging it with Hebrew characters,[5] and who had earlier published excerpts from several of the Greek fragments treating on weights and measures in his Symmicta.[6] In 1973, a critical edition of the Greek text was published by E.D. Moutsoulas in Theologia.[7]
Synopsis
- Part One
In folios [54b–55c], Hadrian's journey and arrival in the East is dated "47 years after the destruction of Jerusalem."
- Translations
In folios [47a–49a]; [51d–52a]; [56d–57b] Epiphanius names four major translations of the
In folios [49a–50a] Epiphanius gives a description of the canonical books of the
- Part Two
- Prominent figures
In spite of Epiphanius' interest in Jewish themes, his narrative often takes on a distorted and stereotypical view of
- Part Three
- Weights and Measures
Folios [61d–73b] contain a treatise on the known weights and measures used in his day among the
- Part Four
- Geography of Asia Minor and the Levant
In folios [73b–75a] Epiphanius gives the names of several cities and places of renown, both in his time and in ancient times, such as:
Chronology of the Ptolemies
- Ptolemy (I), also called Soter (of the Rabbit [Lagos]) = reigned 40 years[21]
- Ptolemy (II) Philadelphus = reigned 38 years
- Ptolemy (III) the Well-Doer (Euergetes) = 24 years
- Ptolemy (IV) Philopator = 21 years[d]
- Ptolemy (V) Epiphanes = 22 years[e]
- Ptolemy (VI) Philometor = 34 years
- Ptolemy (VIII) the Lover of Learning and the Well-Doer = 29 years
- Ptolemy the Savior (Soter) = 15 years[f]
- Ptolemy (X) who is also Alexas = 12 years
- Ptolemy (IX) the brother of Alexas = 8 years
- Ptolemy (XII) Dionysius = 31 years
- Cleopatra, the daughter of Ptolemy = 32 years[g]
Chronology of the Roman emperors
- Augustus = reigned 56 years, 6 months[22][h]
- Tiberius = reigned 23 years
- Gaius = 3 years, 9 months, 29 days[i]
- Claudius = 13 years, 1 month, 28 days[j]
- Nero = 13 years, 7 months, 27 days[k]
- Galba = 7 months, 26 days[l]
- Otho = 3 months, 5 days[m]
- Vitellius = reign: 8 months, 12 days[n]
- Vespasian = reign: 9 years, 7 months, 12 days[o]
- Titus = reign: 2 years, 2 months, 2 days[p]
- Domitian = reign: 15 years, 5 months[q]
- Nerva = reign: 1 year, 4 months
- Trajan = reign: 19 years
- Hadrian = reign: 21 years
- Antoninus, surnamed Pius = reign: 22 years
- Lucius Aurelius Commodus
- Commodus II[s] = reign: 13 years
- Pertinax = 6 months
- Severus (reigned jointly with his son, Antoninus) = reign: 18 years
- Caracalla, also called Geta,[t] who is also Antoninus = reign: 7 years (ruled jointly with Lucius Aurelius Commodus)[u]
- Macrinus = 1 year
- Antoninus II = 4 years
- Alexander, the son of Mammaea = reign: 13 years
- Maximian = 3 years
- Gordian = 6 years[v]
- Philip = 7 years
- Decius = 1 year, 3 months[w]
- Gallienus (Gallus), who ruled jointly with Volusianus = 2 years, 4 months[x]
- Valerian, who ruled jointly with Gallienus, also known as Gallus = 12 years[y]
- Claudius = 1 year, 9 months
- Aurelian = 5 years, 6 months
- Tacitus = 6 months
- Probus= 6 years, 4 months
- Carus, who ruled jointly with his sons, Carinus and Numerian = 2 years
- Diocletian, who ruled jointly with Maximian, Constantine and Maxentius = 20 years
- Maximian (Galerius), Licinius and Constantine, who ruled in succession one after the other = 32 years
- Constans, Constantine and Constantius, followed by Julian, Jovian, Valentinian the Great, Valens, Gratian the son of Valentinian, Valentinian the younger (son of Valentinian), Theodosius, Arcadius the son of Theodosius, Honorius the Illustrious, who was the son of Theodosius, as far as the time of Epiphanius, during the second consulship of Arcadius Augustus and Rufus [year 392] . Years collected altogether: 57 years.[z]
The regnal years of the Caesars as stated by Epiphanius differ slightly in some places from the extant Greek sources. With respect to events in Rome after the reign of
See also
- Chronograph of 354, which contains a similar list of rulers
- List of Roman emperors
- Canon of Kings
Notes
- Song of Solomon, which books had only later been added to the canon, according to Jewish tradition.
- ^ According to Epiphanius, Marcus Aurelius was also called Verus.
- ^ Said to be a place about two miles from the Jordan River, called Beth-ḥagla (lit. "the place of the circuit").
- ^ Ptolemy IV Philopator actually ruled about 17 years, from 221 BC to 204 BC.
- ^ Actually 24 years.
- Ptolemy IX, who was also named "Soter"
- ^ Actually 22 years
- ^ Following Jerome's Chronicon (produced c. 380). Epiphanius dates Augustus accession to February 43 BC, which is greatly inaccurate. This is probably a misreading of "57 years, 6 months"[23] or "56 years, 4 months".[24]
- ^ Following Cassius Dio (30.1), who wrongly dates Tiberius' death to 26 March (28.5).
- ^ 13 years, 8 months and 19 days. (Dio 61.34)
- ^ Confirmed by Jerome (s.2070).
- ^ a corruption of "7 months, 6 days".
- ^ following Suetonius. (Otho, 11)
- ^ actually 8 months and 2 days assuming Vitellius died on 20 December.
- dies imperii.
- ^ "20 days" instead of "2" (Dio, 66.26).
- ^ "5 days" instead of "5 months" (Dio 67, 18)
- ^ Marcus original name was probably "Marcus Annius Verus". No other source calls him "Commodus", but this may just be a confusion.
- ^ The numerals may represent repeated names. Regnal numbers didn't exist back then.
- ^ Geta was also Severus' heir and briefly ruled alongside Caracalla.
- ^ The text of Marcus Aurelius is repeated
- ^ Epiphanius combines the reigns of Gordian I, Gordian II and Gordian III, skipping over Pupienus and Balbinus.
- ^ Decius probably reigned 1 year and 9 months.[25]
- ^ Gallus and Volusianus actually reigned a little over a year.[25]
- ^ actually 15 years
- ^ Actually 55 years, but 56 if counted inclusively.
References
- ^ Dean 1935, p. 11 (note 3). The letter was apparently signed jointly by Valentinian II, emperor of the West, and Theodosius, emperor of the East, as well as Theodosius' two sons, Arcadius and Honorius..
- ^ Dean 1935, Introduction; the Codex Parisinus Graecus 835.
- ^ Found in the “Shatberd codex” MS. 1141, in the library of the Obshchestvo rasprostranenifa gramotnosti sredi gruzin, Tiflis
- ^ William Wright, Catalogue of Syriac manuscripts in the British Museum 2 756 (pp. 717–718)
- ^ Paul de Lagarde, Veteris Testamenti ab Origene recensiti fragmenta apud Syros servata quinque. Praemittitur Epiphanii de mensuris et ponderibus liber nunc primum integer et ipse syriacus, Gootingae 1880
- ^ Paul de Largarde, Symmicta I, Göttingen 1877, pp. 210–225
- ^ E.D. Moutsoulas, ed., "Epiphanius of Salamis, Concerning Weights and Measures" (Introduction, Commentary, Text and Notes), Theologia, 44 (1973), pp. 157–198
- ^ Dean 1935, pp. 33–34, 36.
- ^ Dean 1935, pp. 18–19.
- ^ a b Dean 1935, p. 30.
- Babylonian TalmudEruvin 13b, Baba Bathra 73a, Baba Kamma 46a, et al.
- ^ Dean 1935, p. 32.
- Babylonian TalmudEruvin 13b
- ISBN 0 19 815402 X
- ^ Dean 1935, p. 68.
- ^ Dean 1935, p. 12 (folio 45d). A measure of capacity equal to 30 modii (seahs). The same is defined in the Talmud (Baba Bathra 86b, 105a) as equal to thirty seahs, a capacity equal to about 395.533 cubic centimeters..
- ISBN 0 19 815402 X, who, like all the earlier and later rabbinic writers, prescribe 6 kabs to each seah; 4 logs to each kab; the content of 6 eggs to each log.
- denaria..
- ^ Dean 1935, p. 47.
- Tell Livnin, which means the hill of bricks (livanim), and it is to this that Eusebius (who also wrote about Azekah) most probably referred. 'Azekah' is not 'white', either in Hebrew or in Aramaic. Le-azek in Hebrew means to remove stones, and then the soil appears a bit paler. It therefore appears that Epiphanius, who was born in Beit Zedek, near Eleutheropolis, identified Azekah with Tell el-Beida. Azekah is six kilometers from Eleutheropolis, and Tell Livnin is eight kilometers from there. Epiphanius adapted the new name to the identification by means of an etymological exegesis that has no linguistic basis. At any rate, no settlement existed on Tell Azekah in the Roman-Byzantine period. The early site moved from the high hill to the fields in the plain at the foot of the tell. It may possibly have moved as far as Kh. el-Beida, although this is difficult to accept."
- ^ Dean 1935, pp. 28–29.
- ^ Dean 1935, pp. 28–29, 32, 34–35, 37–39.
- ^ Josephus (1st century), The Jewish War IX. "Fifty-seven years, six months, and two days". 17 February 44 BC; 15 March (the death of Julius Caesar) is probably intended.
- ^ Theophilus (180–192), To Autolycus XXVII. "56 years 4 months 1 day". 18 April; most likely referencing his victory at the Battle of Mutina (21 April).
- ^ ISBN 90-5063-034-0.
- ^ Cf. Chronicon of Jerome, 2005 online edition (tertullian.org), year 193. Epiphanius, by his own admittance (On Weights and Measures, p. 66 [folio 71c]), was familiar with Eusebius' Chronicle from which Jerome had based his Chronicon and may have used it to construct his own chronologies.
- ^ Chronicon of Jerome, 2005 online edition (tertullian.org), year 254
- ^ Josephus, Antiquities (20.11.3)
- ^ Josephus, Vita § 1
- ^ Suetonius, Lives of the Caesars (the Loeb Classical Library series), vol. ii, book v, paragraph xlv
Bibliography
- Dean, James Elmer (1935). Epiphanius' Treatise on Weights and Measures: The Syriac Version. The University of Chicago Press. OCLC 912074.
Further reading
- Renan Baker, "Epiphanius, 'On Weights and Measures' §14: Hadrian's Journey to the East and the Rebuilding of Jerusalem", pub. in: JSTOR 23849839)